Old Navy (Gap Inc.)Democracy of Style
A 5-year brand and product transformation for one America's largest retailers
Old Navy: one of America's most recognised apparel brands inclusive, trend-driven fashion at affordable prices for the whole family. Second-largest apparel brand in the US.
30-year brand pillars: playfully optimistic, frugally innovative, style for all, Americana.
End-to-end ownership of a $1.5B+ men's business online and 1,200+ stores globally with final sign-off on concept, colour, print, fabric, design, and in-store visual placement.
Menswear felt like a different brand from the rest of Old Navy...
Centred on four things: clarity, focus, cross-functional alignment and aesthetic
Clarity
Reviewed data alongside the range, understood what was selling and why. The range had heavy duplication, confusing the customer and reducing depth of buy. Cut the "long tail" and dropped underperforming styles to free up investment.
Focus
Clearer BCG matrix approach across design, so growth/maintain/cut decisions were understood, not just handed down.
Invested in innovation in fabric technology (e.g. sweat-wicking) and focused on denim, fleece and outerwear as the core growth drivers.
Cross-functional alignment
Built cross-functional relationships especially with the Head of Merchandising, replacing silos with shared ownership of decisions.
Aesthetic
More trend-driven, without losing the brand's DNA and more focus on the story-telling throughout the entire brand ranges - through fabric, colour, print and styling cues.
Game Plan
5 years of strategy translated into YOY growth
- 4 seasonal collections a year, shipped consistently across every category, with clear conceptual direction and brand aesthetic, offering a cohesive omni channel brand experience.
- Innovation concentrated in best-sellers doubling down on what customers already loved, rather than spreading resource thin.
- Margin growth through design smarter fabric/trim choices and off-cycle bookings, without compromising product.
- Cross-brand alignment regular sessions with kids' and womenswear on prints and fabrics, improving brand consistency and unlocking cost savings through economies of scale.
- Built the team behind it recruited, mentored and led 13 designers.
Key Results
Mens achieved highest CAGR in the whole brand during my tenure
Outsized market share gain
Men's team won division of the year consecutively based on strong performance
- 01Listen before you lead. Joining a new team or company, take time to observe, ask questions, don't assume you already have the answers.
- 02Cross-functional collaboration is everything. That is when the best product decisions happen.
- 03Solve the real problem. There are always multiple ways to fix something, the hard part is making sure you're fixing the right thing.
- 04Protect the brand's core. Voice, purpose and a real understanding of the customer are what build trust and community. If you're everything to everybody, your nothing to nobody.
- 05Great product balances creativity with commercial reality. It's not enough for an idea to be creative, it has to solve a real customer problem, analyse the data, meet a genuine market need, and generate value for the business.